Curtain holder and releaser.



L. E, BUKEY & R. DAVIS.

CURTAIN HOLDER AND RELEASER. APPLICATION IILEI) JUNE 11, 1909.

955,051, I Patented Apr. 12,1910.

attozmwq ANDREW a GRAHAM Cu. Puoro-urunamvuzrgs, WASWNGYQN D c UNITED STAS Fit) LEE E. BUKEY AND ROY DAVIS, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO.

CURTAIN HOLDER AND RELEASER.

Application filed June 11, 1909. Serial No. 501,524.

T 0 (ZZZ whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that we, Lnn E. BUKEY and ROY DAVIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of f Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented I new and useful Improvements in Curtain Holders and Releasers, of which the follow- 1 ing is a specification.

This invention relates to a self-releasing holder for the curtains of vestibuled railway cars. I

All vestibuled railway cars are provided with guards upon the bufiers thereof adapted to contact and form the side walls of a passageway between the platforms of the cars, which uards are employed in conjunction with a hridge piece or platform board arranged across the joint between the central portions of the buffers. For the protection of passengers using this passageway, curtains are provided to extend along the inner sides of the opposite pairs of companion guards, each of which curtains is mounted upon a spring roller journaled upon the guard of one car and is adapted to be secured at its opposite or free end to a suitable holder on the guard of the opposite car.

It is desirable to provide some means by which the free ends of the curtains so held will be securely fastened while the cars are in service, but automatically released when the cars are separated, as in disconnecting one car from another or uncoupling all the cars of a train.

The object of the present invention is to provide a fastening for the free ends of the curtains which will securely hold the same in operative position against all strains in actual service in the motion of the train, and which will automatically release the curtains when the cars move apart a prescribed distance after they have been uncoupled.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of the meeting ends of two adjacent vestibuled cars coupled together, showing the guards and curtains as arranged in use. Fig. 2 is an elevational view looking toward the inner sides of one of the sets of guards and the coacting curtain, the latter being partially broken away to better disclose the construction. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the parts of the fastening in locking engagement. Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the looking hook, showing it in retracted position. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the parts of the fastener connected as in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the attaching bracket on one end of the chain or flexible connection.

Referring to the drawing, 1 and 2 respectively, indicate the platforms upon the adj acent or meeting ends of coupled vestibuled cars, 3 and 4, respectively, the buffers thereof, 5 the bridge board or plate extending across the same, and 6 and 7 respectively, the opposite sets of guards mounted upon the respective buffers and cooperating to form the side walls of the passageway.

Each guard includes an upright 8, and to the upright 8 of one pair or set of guards is secured suitable bearing b ackets 9 in which are journaled the ends of a spring shaft roller 10 to which is secured one end of the curtain 11, which is adapted by the action of the spring roller to wind thereon.

The curtain is extended in practice from the roller 10 mounted on the upright 8 of one car across the inner sides of the adjacent f guards 6 and 7 and is connected at its free end or edge with a fastener upon the upright 8 on the other car, the arrangement being the same at each side of the passageway, except that in the customary practice the curtains are reversely mounted, one of the uprights of each car being provided with supports for the curtain and its spring shaft, while the other upright on the car is provided with a fastening for connecting the free end of a curtain upon another car thereto.

As above described, it is desirable to provide a fastening means to engage the free end of a curtain to hold it extended securely in practice so that it cannot become accidentally released under the ordinary relative motions of the coupled ends of the cars, while effecting its automatic release when the cars are uncoupled and moved a rescribed distance apart. This desirability of action of the fastener secures safety in the use of the curtain, while obviating the necessity of a manual release of the curtain when the cars are disconnected, with a resulting saving of time and labor.

The fastening comprises a keeper member 10 and a catch member 11. The keeper member 10 consists of a bracket plate 12 adapted for the passage of screws or other suitable fastenings to secure it to the keeper upright 8. This bracket plate is formed with outwardly projecting spaced ears 13 between which is mounted a latch 1st having an engaging hook 15 and an inclined or cam surface 16, said latch member being pivotally mounted on a pin 17 extending between said cars. The hook 15 is adapted to be engaged with a cylindrical bar or rod 18 mounted upon the free end or edge of the curtain. When the latch member is arranged in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the curtain rod. 8 may be engaged with the hook 15, which will hold the same against release to maintain the curtain stretched across the cooperating guards 6 and 7.

The catch member, which is in eifect a device for holding the latch of the keeper member in locking or holding position, comprises a wedge pin or plate 19 adapted to be inserted between the inclined or cam edge 16 of the latch member and a base piece 20 connecting the inner ends of the two ears 13. When so inserted the wedge piece is held frictionally in position against displacement and holds the latch member against movement so that it cannot turn upon its pivot and release the curtain.

A bracket plate 21 is fastened to the coacting curtain supporting upright 8 of the other car and is provided with an eye 22 for the attachment thereto of one end of a chain or flexible connection 23, the opposite end of which is connected with the wedge pin 19, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This chain is of sufficient length to hang slack when the cars are coupled together and to permit suflicientrelative outward movement of the guards 6 and 7 without becoming suiliciently taut to pull upon the wedge pin 19. Thus in the ordinary motion of the cars of a running train the curtain will be securely held stretched across the guards, so as to insure safety to the passengers traveling from one car to the other through the passageway. Then, however, the cars are uncoupled and move apart aprescribed distance, the chain or flexible connection becomes taut and as the cars continue to move farther apart the wedge pin will be withdrawn from engagement with the keeper member in an obvious manner, allowing the latch member to swing backwardly so that its hook 15 will pass over the pivot 17 to the position shown in Fig. 4; under the pull of the curtain, by which the hook will be brought to a reverse position and will allow the rod 18 to pass out so that the curtain will be wound upon the roller 10 by the spring action thereof. It will thus be seen that while the curtain cannot become accidentally unfastened under ordinary movements of the cars in service, as soon as the cars are uncoupled the curtain will be automatically released thus preventing possible injury thereto and obviating the necessity of a manual release thereof.

We claim l. A fastener for the purpose described comprising a bracket having a bearing surface, a hooked engaging member pivotally mounted upon said bracket and having an inclined edge, a wedge adapted to be inserted between said bearing surface and the inclined edge of the engaging member to hold the same in retaining position, and a flexible retracting device connected with said wedge.

2. The combination with meeting ends of railway cars, of a spring winding shaft upon one of the cars, a curtain connected with said shaft, an engaging device pivotally mounted upon the other car and having an inclined edge and a hook to engage the free end of the curtain, a locking wedge adapted to engage said inclined edge to hold said member in curtain retaining position, and a flexible connection between said wedge and the first named car to effect the retraction of the wedge when the cars are uncoupled and move a prescribed distance apart.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

LEE E. BUKEY. ROY DAVIS.

Witnesses FRANK J. Macnnm, L. L. Drr'ron. 

